Socket for electric light bulbs



May '22, 1956 J. P. ARENA SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT BULBS Filed July 19, :1952

IN V EN TOR. J8 SEPI-I P AREA/4 EM-1M A TTOR/VE) United States Patent SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT BULBS Joseph P. Arena, Astoria, N. Y.

Application July 19, 1952, Serial No. 299,872

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-176) This invention relates to a socket for electric light bulbs and the like.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of an electric light socket which embodies important safety factors for the prevention of accidental shock or thelike. In this socket there are two contact elements which are engageable with the central contact element and contact shell of a conventional electric light bulb. These two contact elements are simply the two wires or conductors to which the socket is connected. One of these wires occupies a central location in the socket and it is bent over a hump in the socket for ready engagement with the central contact member of the electric light bulb. The second contact member of the socket is the second wire or conductor and this latter wire or conductor is pressed up against the inner side wall of the socket, extending approximately three-quarters of the way up. This wire or conductor is corrugated to conform to the threads or corrugations of the socket and also of the shell of the bulb.

When the bulb is inserted into the socket, it is impossible to touch both the shell of the bulb and the corrugated contact wire of the socket. The socket and its bulb may be submerged in water while the current is on without producing a shock to anyone holding the socket or the bulb and without any interference whatsoever, with the electric circuit.

The prominent feature of the present invention is a spring-urged floating disc which prevents accidental contact with thecentral contact member of the socket when the bulb is out of the socket. Springs are connected to the floating disc, between said disc and the floor or base of the socket and they tend to maintain the floating disc in spaced relation to the central contact member of the socket. Hence, when a finger is inadvertently or accidentally thrust into the socket at a time when the socket is connected to a live electric circuit, a shock and perhaps even more serious circumstances will be prevented because the floating disc will stand between the finger and the central contact member of the socket.

It is accordingly the specific object of the present invention to provide a spring-urged floating disc for electric light sockets to prevent accidental touching of the central contact member of these sockets. The invention is not limited to the specific type of electric light socket shown in the drawing and herein described. Instead, it is applicable to every type of electric light socket. It will, of course, be understood that a central opening is provided in the floating disc to enable the central contact member of the bulb to enter into engagement with the central contact member of the socket. When the bulb is'screwed into the socket, it tends to depress the floating disc to the point where it is possible for the central contact member of the bulb to engage the central contact member of the socket through the central opening in the disc.

The invention is susceptible of many variations. An

'ice

important variation which will hereinafter be considered in detail, involves the use of a rivet, a stud or other similar fastening member or the like in the floating disc. This rivet or stud or the like would be mounted within the central opening in said floating disc and it would be exposed both at the top and at the bottom. It would serve as an intermediate contact member, between the central contact member of the socket and the central contact member of the bulb. In other words, it would no longer be necessary for the central contact member of the bulb to project through the central opening in the floating disc in order to engage the central contact member of the socket. of the bulb will engage the rivet or stud in the floating disc and said rivet or stud will then engage the central contact member of the socket. In all other respects this variation of the invention will correspond to the principal form of the invention above mentioned.

A preferred form of this invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through an electric light socket of the type above mentioned and through a floating disc mounted in said socket.

Fig. 2 is another longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the socket looking in the direction of arrows 3, 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through said electric light socket, said section being taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the spring-urged floating disc, showing said disc connected to the base disc of the socket by means of a pair of coiled compression springs.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a floating disc having a rivet mounted in its central opening to serve as an intermediate contact member between the central contact members of the bulb and the socket.

Socket 10 is molded of suitable plastics, preferably thermosetting plastics. Illustrations of preferred materias for this purpose are the phenol-formaldehyde resins which are sold under the trademark Bakelite, of the Bakelite Corporation and under the trademark Durez of the General Plastics Corporation. This socket consists of a tubular section 12 and a floor or base section 14 which are integral with each other. Internal screw threads or corrugations 16 are formed on the inside of the tubular section 12 of the socket and it will be understood that these screw threads or corrugations are adapted to receive the screw-threaded shell of a conventional electric light bulb 18 or any other similar device which is normally screwed into an electric light socket. Since the socketis molded of plastics, it is of course nonconductive to electric current.

Two holes 20 and 22 are formed in base 14 of the socket and it will be seen that electric cords 24 and 26 project up into said holes. It is important to note that the insulated part of these electric cords extends up into these two holes so as to prevent accidental contact be tween the wires themselves and the fingers of any person handling the device.

Wire or conductor 28 enters the socket from cord 24 and wire or conductor 30 enters the socket from cord 26. These two wires or conductors are bare of insulating ma terial since they serve as the contact members of the socket. These wires should preferably be tinned or leaded to prevent unravelling and they may also be flattened, if desired.

be seen that it is provided with a pair of holes 36 and 38 which are disposed diametrically opposite each other, a

Instead, the central contact member hole 40, a central hump or boss 42 and a small hole or recess 44 formed on the opposite side of said hump or boss 42 from hole 40. This disc 32 may be press-fitted into the socket in order to hold the wires or conductors in place.

More specifically, it will be seen that wire or conductor 28- projects up along the side wall of the socket through a slot 34 formed therein. Similarly, wire or conductor 30 projects up through hole 40 in said disc and it is then bent over upon the disc and over the hump or boss 42 and its end then projects into the hole or recess 44.

It will be seen in Fig. 1 that wire or conductor 30 conforms, substantially, to the curvature of the hump or boss 42 and it will be understood that said hump or boss 42 acts to form a corresponding hump in said wire or conductor which serves as the central contact member of the socket. The hole or recess 44 tends to engage the end of said wire or conductor 30 and to hold the same in place on disc 32. It may be found desirable to provide the hump portion of wire 30 with some measure of resilience and this can readily be done by simply spacing it slightly from the top of hump 42 of disc 32. It would then be possible to depress the humped portion of wire 30 in the direction of hump 42 when the bulb is screwed into the socket, but this process would not permanently deform the wire and it would retain its resilience.

It has been said that wire or conductor 28 projects up into the socket through slot 34 in the socket wall. It is gripped tight and held in place in said slot by disc 32.

Holes 36 and 38 in disc 32 accommodate coiled compression springs 46 and 48 respectively. The top ends of said compression springs project into corresponding holes in floating disc 50. This floating disc is thereby tensionally supported above the base disc 32 in spaced relation thereto. Floating disc 50 is smaller in diameter than base disc 32, the reason being that the base disc is pressed into the socket to be fixed therein and the floating disc is intended to be vertically movable in said socket both toward and away from the base disc. Floating disc 50 is also molded of suitable plastic material and it is provided with a deep recess 52 in its top wall, a central opening 54 and a peripheral notch 56. Notch 56 registers with slot 34 in the socket wall and hole 54 registers with boss 42. Notch 56 is large enough to clear wire or conductor 28.

When the assembly shown in Fig. 5, consisting of discs 32 and 50 and springs 46 and 48, is inserted into the socket, disc 32 is press-fitted into place and disc 50 is free to move vertically relative to disc 32.

Recess 52 accommodates the base of light bulb 18 and the central contact member 58 of said bulb is adapted to project through hole 54. Hence, when the bulb is screwed into the socket, floating disc 50 will be forced downwardly against the action of springs 46 and 48. It will thereby be possible for contact member 58 of the bulb to enter into engagement with the humped portion of wire or conductor 30 through hole 54 in disc 50. (See the dotted lines in Fig. 2.) When the bulb is screwed out of the socket, disc 50 will rise to its position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a spaced distance not only above disc 32 but also above the hump in wire or conductor 30. If a finger is inadvertently inserted into the socket, it will encounter the floating disc 50 and it will thereby be prevented from touching wire or conductor 30.

Turning now to Fig. 6, it will be seen that a floating disc 60 is provided which corresponds basically to floating disc 50 above described. It is molded of electrically non-conductive plastics, it has a recess 62 formed therein to receive the base of the bulb, and it has a central opening 64 which corresponds to central. opening 54' above referred to. However, a rivet or stud 66 or any other suitable member of like structure is secured to said floating disc 60 within its said opening 64. This rivet or stud may be held in place by a simple press-fit or it may be riveted over to insure against accidental dislodgment. Its upper end is engageable with the central contact member of the bulb and its lower end is engageable with the central contact member of the socket when the bulb is screwed into the socket and the disc is thereby depressed therein.

The foregoing is illustrative of one preferred form of this invention and it will be understood that the illustrated form of the invention may be modified in many respects and other forms may be provided within the spirit of the invention. For example, the invention is not limited to the specific type of socket which is shown in the drawing. It applies equally well to other sockets, including all conventional sockets.

I claim:

1. In an electric socket having a central contact member on its base and a second contact member on its side wall, a floating disc mounted in said socket above said base, said disc being movable toward and away from said base and relative to said central and second contact members and being spring-urged in the direction away from the base, said floating disc being also provided with a central opening whereby the central contact member of an electric light bulb is engageable with said central contact member of the socket through the opening in said disc, said disc being retractable under the pressure of an electric light bulb when said bulb is screwed into the socket in order to enable the central contact member of the bulb to enter into engagement with the central contact member of the socket through said opening in the floating disc, and, wherein a base disc is provided on the base of the socket below the floating disc, a pair of springs maintaining the floating disc in spaced relation to the base disc, a conductor which enters the socket and extends across the base disc to form the central contact member of said socket and a second conductor which enters the socket and projects upwardly along the side wall of the socket between said side wall and the base and floating discs, said second conductor constituting the second contact member of the socket.

2. In an electric socket having a central contact member on its base and a second contact member on its side wall, a floating disc mounted in said socket above said base, said disc being movable toward and away from said base and relative to said central and second contact members and being spring-urged in the direction away from the base, said floating disc being also provided with a central opening whereby the central contact member of an electric light bulb is engageable with said central contact member of the socket through the opening in said disc, said disc being retractable under the pressure of an electric light bulb when said bulb is screwed into the socket in order to enable the central contact member of the bulb to enter into engagement with the central contact member of the socket through said opening in the floating disc, and, wherein a base disc is provided on the base of the socket below the floating disc, a pair of springs maintaining the floating disc in spaced relation to the base disc, a conductor which enters the socket and extends across the base disc to form the central contact member of said socket and a second conductor which enters the socket and projects upwardly along the side wall of the socket between said side wall and the base and floating discs, said second conductor constituting the second contact member of the socket, said base disc engaging the second conductor and holding it securely in place against the side wall of the socket, said floating disc being notched along its peripheral edge to clear said second conductor and render it possible for said floating disc to move relative to the base disc without disturbing said second conductor.

3. In an electric socket having a central contact member on its base and a second contact member on its side wall, a floating disc mounted in said socket above said base, said disc being movable toward and away from said base and relative to said central and second contact members and being spring-urged in the direction away from the base, said floating disc being also provided with a central opening whereby the central contact member of an electric light bulb is engageable with said central contact member of the socket through the opening in said disc, said disc being retractable under the pressure of an electric light bulb when said bulb is screwed into the socket in order to enable the central contact member of the bulb to enter into engagement with the central contact member of the socket through said opening in the floating disc, and, wherein a base disc is provided on the base of the socket below the floating disc, a pair of springs maintaining the floating disc in spaced relation to the base disc, a conductor which enters the socket and extends across the base disc to form the central contact member of said socket and a second conductor which enters the socket and projects upwardly along the side wall of the socket between said side Wall and the base and floating discs, said second conductor constituting the second contact member of the socket, said base disc being provided with a central boss over which the firstmentioned conductor extends, said first-mentioned conductor being humped to conform to said boss and said hump being adapted to project through the opening in the floating disc for engagement with the central contact member of the electric light bulb. 

